Re: SGI files for chapter 11

On Sun, 14 May 2006 10:14:20 -0700, Karsten Nyblad <nospam@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

Bill Todd wrote:
I've already suggested (as have others) that FX!32-style technology running on Alpha (i.e., VMS in native Alpha code running x86 binary applications) might well have been the right solution. IIRC Alpha managed to emulate the x86 ISA at something like 60% - 70% of native Alpha performance (though whether that was only after an initial translation run I don't remember), so it certainly could have emulated VAX performance at *some* semi-respectable speed (though probably somewhat lower given the added complexity).

As I remember it, it was with a bit of cheating. The libraries were running native Alpha code. Each time a library function was called, the call was intercepted and changed into a native Windows NT call. Most disk top applications are executing lots of library code, and the performance of FX!32 was 60%-70% on a typical mixture of executing library code and VAX code.

I had an XL266 initiallt with Win 3.51 later 4.0 with FX!32 and it was a bit more
involved. It actually synthesized a flow graph and woul perfom optimizations
on the code which COULD BE SCHEDULE TO RUN, E.G., AT NIGHT and I think the libraries were
similarly treated. FX!32 consisted of two parts, an X86 emulator and the optimizer.
The emulator was donated to the Alpha Linux community, but not the flow analyser.
There was no VAX code involved.
.

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